Workshop Requests and Suggestions

Jorick

Magnificent Bastard
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LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. One post per week
  2. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
  3. Prestige
  4. Douche
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Fantasy is my #1; I will give almost anything a chance if it has strong fantasy elements. Post apocalyptic, superhero, alternate history, science fantasy, some supernatural, romance, and a few fandoms (especially Game of Thrones) are also likely to catch my eye.
Have you ever gone looking through the Content section for a workshop on a certain topic and found nothing there? Are there any currently covered topics that you think need more and/or newer workshops to really do it justice? Do you have ideas for cool workshops but you can't be bothered to write it yourself?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, or if you're just bored and looking for something to do to pass the time, this is the thread for you!

This thread is meant to be a list for all content contributors of Iwaku to use for inspiration and to help guide them toward filling the actual needs and interests of the people of the site in general. Make your suggestions here in this thread and they'll be added to the master list in this post. No guarantees on if or when someone will get around to filling your request, but odds are it'll never get done if you don't ask!

At @Minibit's suggestion, the list is now color coded for the convenience of folks who would like to avoid doubling up on topics other people have already covered. It's perfectly fine to make a guide or workshop on a topic that someone else has already gone over, since a diversity of ideas is always a good thing, but if you prefer to fill gaps instead that's fine too. You do you. Here's the color code:

White means nobody has linked a workshop on this topic
Green means there has been only one workshop linked on this topic
Blue means there have been two or more workshops linked on this topic

The List

Game Mastering & Roleplay Mechanics

How to make good interest checks or partner requests and advertise them effectively
How do specific types of roleplays (dice, nation, etc) work
How and when to enforce strict GM rules
How to get into chat/1x1/group roleplaying for the first time

Developing Characters & Cultures

How to make characters actually interesting
How and where to get good character images
How to write good character appearances
How to create unique species

Creating Worlds & Settings

Where to start when building a world/setting
How to build worlds for specific genres (though fantasy is already well represented)
How to come up with good names for things
How to combine genres well
Explanations of specific genre labels (-punk genres, high/low fantasy, etc.)

Refining Writing

How to deal with writer's block
How to make your posts longer without tons of fluff
How to make your posts shorter without losing important details
Grammar guides of any sort
Tips for realism in perception (hearing ranges, sight ranges, etc.)
 
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I suggest (and request) a basic guide to understand less common genres and settings? (For example, I've seen Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Gothicpunk, and many other "punks" and don't know what's the difference between them. I've seen people using high fantasy and low fantasy with interchanged meanings, so there's definitely confusion there. A person listed a genre they liked as "gritty", never seen it before.)
 
Is that list still up for grabs by writers? If so, I'll gladly write about describing character appearances as best I am able to ^^ but if anyone else is already on it, just let me know!
 
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Is that list still up for grabs by writers? If so, I'll gladly write about describing character appearances as best I am able to ^^ but if anyone else is already on it, just let me know!
Don't worry about anyone having claim on certain topics. Getting multiple perspectives on things is always nice, so feel free to write about things even if someone else has already done so and you happen to have a different view on the matter. :)
 
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I suggest (and request) a basic guide to understand less common genres and settings? (For example, I've seen Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Gothicpunk, and many other "punks" and don't know what's the difference between them. I've seen people using high fantasy and low fantasy with interchanged meanings, so there's definitely confusion there. A person listed a genre they liked as "gritty", never seen it before.)
I second this.

I know the difference between Steampunk and Cyberpunk (enough to enjoy the genres, not enough to write a Guide on it) but I didn't even know about Gothicpunk until right now.
 
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I second this.

I know the difference between Steampunk and Cyberpunk (enough to enjoy the genres, not enough to write a Guide on it) but I didn't even know about Gothicpunk until right now.
The creators of World of Darkness (Vampire the Masquerade, Mage the Ascension, etc.) say their setting is Gothicpunk.
 
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The creators of World of Darkness (Vampire the Masquerade, Mage the Ascension, etc.) say their setting is Gothicpunk.
Oh. That gives me a much clear idea on what Gothicpunk is. XD
Thanks! :)
 
For those of you wondering about the settings, there is a guide already in the works (I think @redblood was in charge of this) with definitions for all the setting tags. It's like a sentence per setting tag, but it ought to be enough to give you an idea.

How to get into chat/1x1/group roleplaying for the first time
WORKSHOP - A Guide to Chat Roleplay! | IwakuRoleplay.com - This one is only pertinent for Chat RP, but that one's covered.

How to deal with writer's block
WORKSHOP - Write the crap. | IwakuRoleplay.com - Thanks @Minibit!

How to make your posts longer without tons of fluff
How to make your posts shorter without losing important details
WORKSHOP - The Art of Showing Versus Telling | IwakuRoleplay.com
WORKSHOP - Effectively Using Descriptive Imagery | IwakuRoleplay.com
WORKSHOP - Kill the Purple Prose and Revive Your Descriptions! | IwakuRoleplay.com - Also one of @Minibit's
...I'm sure there are more on this topic that I just can't remember.

Grammar guides of any sort
WORKSHOP - Grammarholics Anonymous - Your Grammar Guide! | IwakuRoleplay.com
 
Not sure where to put it, perhaps under "Refining Writing", but I'd appreciate a resource for realistic hearing ranges.
For example, how far would a footstep be hearable in a forest?
Could I hear someone talking with one room inbetween?
How far would someone's shouting be heard in a city?

I realise this would be somewhat vague and dependent on the situation, but any sort of guideline would be helpful.
 
Not sure where to put it, perhaps under "Refining Writing", but I'd appreciate a resource for realistic hearing ranges.
For example, how far would a footstep be hearable in a forest?
Could I hear someone talking with one room inbetween?
How far would someone's shouting be heard in a city?

I realise this would be somewhat vague and dependent on the situation, but any sort of guideline would be helpful.
It's very situational. Any comprehensive guide on it would be better written by an authority in the field, and would be too long and technical for anybody to want to read (except maybe @Jorick or @Brovo ;P)

I would recommend just research for this :/ I don't think it's the kind of thing you can make a single resource or workshop on; consider the situation the character is in, and either google "how far can you hear in a forest" (which is almost certain going to require an additional, more specific search like "how far can I hear in an alpine forest") or, if possible, go out and see. In a room with other people, move to different parts and see how much you can hear, etc etc.

The one kind of steady note that applies to virtually all hearing situations that I will maybe do a resource or workshop on would be the power of distraction on our perceptions. Even if you're standing right next to them, if you're "tuned out" you can miss everything they say. Even if people are talking about you within your hearing range, if they don't say your name or use any words that immediately catch your attention, you can still miss it entirely. So consider not only what ambient sounds and distance there are, but how much attention the character is paying to the sound, or to the possibility of sound.
 
@Wolk and @Minibit I do actually have a guide on this, which teaches spatial contextual awareness, and conservation of detail. The reason those two go together however isn't mentioned in the guide, so I will mention it here: 100% Realism in a story is what is called "a scientific simulation." It is extraordinarily dull. By virtue of good pacing you have to skip over some details and potentially stretch or break reality to create a thrilling story, the measure of which is made by a pact the reader makes with any author: Suspension of Disbelief. You don't need to know exactly how far a human can hear, just go by your own personal experiences and wing it to within something reasonable. If it is a really loud sound, like a gunshot, a few miles is vague enough to fit any pacing.

Otherwise, yeah, Mini is right. If you need to know exact facts, Google is your friend. Otherwise, guides of this nature will always teach generalizations, because absolute fact is not thrilling. :ferret:
 
@Jorick would it be possible to get the OP edited to remove or strike through items that have since been created? :)


It's fine to create stuff that's already been addressed, but for those of us who are looking for stuff that hasn't been done yet, it'd be handy

(thinking about that I'd recommend the strike through, so the idea is still visible, just clear that it's been done. Or maybe a colour code?)
 
@Jorick would it be possible to get the OP edited to remove or strike through items that have since been created? :)


It's fine to create stuff that's already been addressed, but for those of us who are looking for stuff that hasn't been done yet, it'd be handy

(thinking about that I'd recommend the strike through, so the idea is still visible, just clear that it's been done. Or maybe a colour code?)
Yeah, I'll throw a color code on there tomorrow morning after I get home from work, good idea.
 
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Simple color coding added. Note that I'm only counting whether or not guides have been specifically linked in this thread in response to the request listing, as I know there are many others that existed on some of these topics before this thread was created.
 
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I wrote a guide a long time ago on creating organic characters, which is similar in concept to creating interesting characters.

While I still feel most of my guide holds up even now, I wouldn't mind taking a shot at making a new guide for that.

To me, it's actually a surprisingly simple solution for what many people believe is an overly complex problem.
 
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